Hoboken mayor touts plans to borrow $9M for second storm water pump

HOBOKEN – Mayor Dawn Zimmer announced today that the city will be applying for a $9 million low-interest loan to build a second storm water pump in the city, as part of several initiatives to prevent flooding, power outages and other chronic problems.

The loan application is subject to City Council approval.

The North Hudson Sewerage Authority would
install and operate the new pump, which officials with the agency say is “shovel ready,” and would be situated at 11th Street near the Hudson
River, said Richard Wolff, the executive director of the agency.

"With climate change and the high level of development that we have had over the last 20 years the flooding seems to be getting more and more frequent and more and more severe," Zimmer said. "This pump will be part of a comprehensive solution. The reality is that the more we do to prevent the rainwater from going into the sewer system the more it will help."

While the city will repay the
20-year-loan from the Environmental Infrastructure Trust, the North Hudson Sewerage Authority will cover the annual cost of around $225,000 a year to maintain and operate
the pump, officials said.

One storm water pump has already been
installed at Observer Highway and Zimmer said that the
additional pump in the northern end of town will further help protect flooding in the western part of the
city. She will be looking for additional funding to pay for two more pumps, she said.

Zimmer also announced that the city is
expected to receive a grant to fund a study by the Department of Environmental Protection to
determine what PSE&G needs to do to ensure the power outages that left many
parts of the city without power more than a week after Hurricane
Sandy don't happen again.

One possibility would be to create a
“micro grid” system that would operate independently from the
rest of the PSE&G grid during storms.

Chris Riat, senior director of
environmental services with United Water, also said his company would be conducting a six-month study into what needs to be done to prevent
water main breaks in the aging.

Last week, in the aftermath of a
rain storm that again flooded parts of the western and southwestern
parts of the city, Zimmer made a plea to the state and
federal government for $29 million in federal funds to pay for three
new storm water pumps.

The mayor said the pumps have been
designed, are ready for construction and North Hudson Sewerage
Authority is ready to build them as soon as funding has been
approved.

The city is also creating an
Environmental Master Plan for future developments that would required
developers to reduce water runoff by doing things like installing green roofs and tanks
to capture and reuse rain water.

One proposal being considered is acquiring land in the north and west of the city to install large water retention systems that would capture storm water during heavy rain and release the water gradually, Zimmer said.

Hoboken was hit especially hard by superstorm Sandy, with much of the city left under water and without power for more than a week.